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Meet the 2012 Bentley Continental GT. What do you mean, “Where is it?” It’s orange — how can you miss it? Yes, really, that’s the new one.

The craftsmen from Crewe, England, seem to believe wholeheartedly in the mantra of leaving well enough alone. There was little about the old Continental GT worth nitpicking, so rather than risk ruining a good thing, Bentley instead made small, careful changes calculated to improve where possible. The result, as you can plainly see, is a car that appears little different than the one it replaces. To stop there, though, would be to undersell it.

While the Continental GT remains roughly the same shape, a number of small cues will help you distinguish old from new the next time you roll through Beverly Hills. The front turn signals are smaller on the new car, while the grille is slightly larger. The pair of razor-sharp character lines that started outboard of the headlights and near the tops of the front wheels and ran up the sides of the car have been smoothed out. The trunk is pulled up, squared off, and flanked by wraparound taillights finished in LEDs. Naturally, there are new wheels and exhaust tips on the bill, plus chrome accents just above the running boards. In all, the new Continental appears as though it’s been melted by the forces of extreme speed, and it’s a sleeker, more modern shape for it.

Extreme speed is something the Continental GT has always done well, so it’s no surprise that its straight-line performance hasn’t been dampened. Though Bentley found another 15 ponies and 37 pound-feet hiding amongst the twin-turbos and 12 cylinders, top speed remains at 198 mph. In fact, objective performance hasn’t changed at all. The 2012 Continental hits 60 mph from a standstill in 4.4 seconds and eclipses the quarter-mile in 12.8 seconds at 111.2 mph, nearly identical to a 2005 Continental GT we tested. To its credit, the new car was slightly quicker and stickier on our skidpad and figure-eight exercises. Although the numbers don’t bear it out, the delivery certainly feels more enthusiastic, which is an impressive thing to say considering that the old car pulled like a freight train already.

Some of the improvement in the perceived performance can be attributed to the ZF six-speed automatic. Now equipped with a technology called Quickshift, Bentley says the auto box changes gears in half the time and can skip a gear on downshifts to more quickly access the heart of the powerband. While it offers crisp downshifts and surprisingly smooth full-throttle upshifts, it exhibited some of the telltale automatic transmission hesitation during normal driving and was slow to downshift when not in Sport mode, things one wouldn’t expect from a $200,000 car.

Improvement can also be credited to a bit of weight loss. If you skipped straight ahead to the spec chart, you’ll rightly point out that a claimed reduction of 143 pounds is hardly headline news for a car that weighs over 5000 pounds. It means more than you’d think, though. Much of that weight came from the suspension, which is more aluminum-intensive now. Combined with some minor recalibration of dampers and related parts, the lighter corners make the Continental GT feel sportier and lighter on its feet than the old car. There’s never a doubt in your mind that it’s a very big car, but you’ll be continually exclaiming to yourself how well it handles for its size.

And while the turn-in and body roll control will impress you on the way into the corner, the car’s ability to exit gracefully and forcefully at the same time will really make an impression. Roll into the throttle hard on exit and the 40/60 split of the all-wheel-drive system produces just a whiff of understeer to let you know you’ve reached the limits of physics. Hold it there and the car will glide out of the corner with speed that simply doesn’t seem possible for its weight class. When you’re ready to slow the party down, the enormous 15.9-inch front and 13.2-inch steel brakes will again question your understanding of the laws of physics as they haul the Continental GT to a stop from 60 mph in just 113 feet. Imagine what the optional carbon-ceramic discs can do. If we were to complain, it would be that the steering is on the light side and not wholly communicative, but that’s what separates the sports cars from the touring cars in this price range.

It’s easy to see why, then, a former Bentley employee once confided that some at the company referred to Continentals internally as “Beverly Hills Taxis.” Indeed, you can’t swing a Gucci purse in Beverly Hills without scratching the $4220 optional paint on at least three Continentals. It’s not just that the car is a prestigious status symbol for those so inclined and endowed, but it’s also a very livable car. When you’re not hunting for parking in the tiny garages at the end of Rodeo Dr., the car drives much smaller than it is. Though not Mulsanne smooth, the adjustable air suspension does a fine job of ironing out the road, despite the heavy optional 21-inch wheels.

And if the fashion conscious of West L.A. loved the old Continental, they’ll be on this one like the next big coffee fad. Those of them who’ve owned other products from the Volkswagen Auto Group no doubt recognized some of the shared pieces inside the old Continental, but we’re happy to report they’ve been banished. The new steering wheel is a stylish piece with a nice, thick rim that frames modern, expensive-looking gauges. The old, slow navigation and entertainment system is gone, replaced with a new 8-inch touch screen that’s faster, more intuitive, and looks better. The old VW Group-sourced shifter assembly remains, but it’s a classy enough piece that we don’t mind. The new seats, on the other hand, are simply phenomenal — supremely comfortable and deceptively well-bolstered for the few buyers who will appreciate such things. The Naim audio system, meanwhile, is so clear you’ll discover new sounds in songs you’ve heard a million times.

At first glance, it seemed disappointing that Bentley chose to refresh the Continental GT rather than comprehensively update it. Given the strong statement made by the new Mulsanne, perhaps the “new” Continental is still a bit underwhelming. Nevertheless, it’s still a better car than it was, and in ways that anyone, not just enthusiasts, can and will notice and appreciate. We certainly can’t fault Bentley for that, and neither, we suspect, will their customers.

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